The Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner is the latest addition to the music-oriented indie.

Strings is the debut film of director Daniel Duran, who is moving to the big screen after directing more than 50 music videos.

Written and produced by Oscar Torres, the story follows a young, drug-addicted DJ (Till), ordered by the court to live out the rest of his underage years in the custody of his estranged father. Duhamel stars as an army veteran-turned-counselor who treats Till's character and, in the course of their sessions, makes a shocking discovery.

Dern will play Mary, a beautiful, but beaten-down woman who has never recovered from the death of her eldest son.

The film just began shooting in Winnipeg, Canada.

Producing are Torres, Duran, Danny Rodriquez and Phyllis Laing.

Dern's schedule opened up after the cancelation of HBO's Enlightened. This is her second attachment in the last few months, following When the Game Stands, directed by Thomas Carter. Dern was last seen playing an eerily dedicated follower in Paul Thomas Anderson's enigmatic drama The Master.